"Just a Dream" is a song by American rapper and singer

Nelly Cornell Iral Haynes Jr. (born November 2, 1974), better known by his stage name Nelly, is an American rapper, singer, actor and entrepreneur. He embarked on his music career with the hip hop group St. Lunatics in 1993 and signed to Universal ...

, released as the lead single from his sixth album '' 5.0'' in 2010. The song was written by Mitch J, Nelly, Rico Love,

Jim Jonsin James Gregory Scheffer (born June 8, 1970), professionally known as Jim Jonsin, is an American record producer, songwriter, businessman and DJ from South Florida. Jonsin has collaborated with numerous artists, including Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland, ...

and

Frank Romano Frank Romano is an American born guitarist, songwriter and record producer, influenced by a number of musical styles and backgrounds. Career Currently based in Nashville, Tennessee, Romano grew up in a musical family in the suburbs of Cle ...

with Jonsin and Love producing the song. The song was released on August 16, 2010, to

iTunes Store The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...

s around the world for digital download. It was released alongside the promotional single, "Tippin' In da Club". On October 6, 2010, the song was certified triple platinum by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...

Composition

Nelly said, "I think that the way the whole song plays out, with the beat and the lyrics, I think it comes together in the sense of it's almost a timeless song." Many have speculated "Just a Dream" is actually about Nelly's relationship with Ashanti. He responds in an interview for "That Grape Juice", "No it's not about Ashanti. It's just a song that I and my man

ico is an action-adventure game developed by Japan Studio and Team Ico, and published by Sony Computer Entertainment, released for the PlayStation 2 video game console in 2001 and 2002 in various regions. It was designed and directed by Fumito Ued ...

came up with. It's a song that just relatable on all levels – rich, poor, black, white, child, adult – whatever level it is. If hinking it’s about Ashantiis what helps people to go out and support it then so be it (giggles)." The music is a sample of the track "Variations sur Marilou" by the French singer Serge Gainsbourg (1976).

Chart performance

"Just a Dream" made its first chart appearance, debuting on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at number twelve and peaking at number three in its eighth week. The song also debuted at number 38 on ''Billboard''s

Mainstream Top 40 Pop Airplay (also called Mainstream Top 40, Pop Songs, and Top 40/ CHR) is a 40-song music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played on a panel of Top 40 radio stations in the U ...

chart, and debuted at number eight on the ''Billboard''

Digital Songs The Digital Songs or Digital Song Sales chart (previously named Hot Digital Songs) ranks the best-selling digital songs in the United States, as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published by '' Billboard'' magazine. Although it originally star ...

chart, selling 135,000 downloads in its first week. "Just a Dream" is Nelly's highest-charting song since his 2005 single "

Grillz "Grillz" is a song by American rapper Nelly featuring fellow American rappers Paul Wall, Ali & Gipp, and uncredited vocals from American singer Brandi Williams (of the group Blaque). The song was written by Nelly, Jermaine Dupri, Paul Wall, A ...

". and debuted at number 22 on the ''Billboard''

Rap Songs Hot Rap Songs (formerly known as Hot Rap Tracks and Hot Rap Singles) is a chart released weekly by ''Billboard'' in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stati ...

chart. As of November 2013, the song has sold over 4 million copies in the United States. The song entered the

Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine. The Canadian Hot 100 was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007, and is currently the standard record ...

in August 2010, at number 32. It debuted in Australia (

ARIA Charts The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

) at number 24, on the

New Zealand Singles Chart The Official New Zealand Music Chart ( mi, Te Papa Tātai Waiata Matua o Aotearoa) is the weekly New Zealand top 40 singles and albums charts, issued weekly by Recorded Music NZ (formerly Recording Industry Association of New Zealand). The Music ...

at number 29, Switzerland ( Media Control AG) at number 52 and the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

at number 8.

Live performances

Nelly performed "Just a Dream" during a free concert to help promote St. Louis' bid for the

2012 Democratic National Convention The 2012 Democratic National Convention was a gathering, held from September 3–6, 2012, at the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina, in which delegates of the Democratic Party nominated President Barack Obama and Vice Presi ...

at Kiener Plaza on July 29, 2010. He also performed the song during the 2010 MOBO Awards in

Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

on October 20, 2010. Nelly performed live for the November 13th Margarito/Pacquiao bout at

Cowboys Stadium AT&T Stadium, formerly Cowboys Stadium, is a retractable-roof stadium in Arlington, Texas, United States. It serves as the home of the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL), and was completed on May 27, 2009. It is also the hom ...

Arlington, Texas Arlington is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, located in Tarrant County. It forms part of the Mid-Cities region of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area, and is a principal city of the metropolis and region ...

. He also performed on

Coke Studio Coke Studio may refer to: * ''Coke Studio'' (Pakistan), a Pakistani television series featuring live music performances. * ''Coke Studio'' (India), an Indian television series featuring live music performances. * ''Coke Studio Bangla'', a Banglade ...

on April 25, 2013, with Egyptian singer

Sherine Sherine Sayed Mohamed Abdel-Wahab ( ar, شيرين سيد محمد عبد الوهاب; born October 8, 1980), known professionally by the mononym Sherine ( ar, شيرين), is an Egyptian singer, actress, TV host and personality, and a former ...

Accolades

Nelly won "Top Streaming Song" for "Just a Dream" at the 2011 ''Billboard'' Music Awards. At the 2011 MuchMusic Video Awards, Nelly was Nominated for "MuchMusic.com Most Watched Video" for "Just a Dream" but lost to

Taio Cruz Jacob Taio Cruz (; born Adetayo Ayowale Onile-Ere, 23 April 1980), better known professionally as Taio Cruz (stylized TΛIO CRUZ), is an English singer, songwriter and record producer from London, England, currently based in Los Angeles. In 200 ...

's "

Dynamite Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents (such as powdered shells or clay), and stabilizers. It was invented by the Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in Geesthacht, Northern Germany, and patented in 1867. It rapidl ...

". The song is also covered in the 2012 musical comedy ''

Pitch Perfect ''Pitch Perfect'' is a 2012 American musical comedy film directed by Jason Moore and written by Kay Cannon. It features an ensemble cast, including Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Skylar Astin, Anna Camp, Brittany Snow, Hana Mae Lee, Alexis ...

'' by

Anna Kendrick Anna Cooke Kendrick (born August 9, 1985) is an American actress. She has received various accolades, including a Satellite Award, five Teen Choice Awards, three MTV Movie Awards, and nominations for an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award a ...

Music video

Nelly shot the music video to "Just a Dream" on August 26, 2010, at

Playa del Rey, Los Angeles Playa del Rey (Spanish for "Beach of the King") is a seaside community in the Santa Monica Bay and the Westside region of Los Angeles, California. It has a ZIP code of 90293 and area codes of 310 and 424. As of 2018, the community had a popul ...

. The director of the video is Sanji. Nelly goes sky high in a dramatic black-and-white video, sitting in his car while floating high above the ocean. Nelly looks down on his girl— Kat Graham—as she runs along the shore. He later he comes down to ground to take a trip to the club. While searching for his love, he mistakes a girl walking on the street—actress Bianca Siavoshy—for his girlfriend. His dream home, a wedding ring, and his car, items that had been floating above the beach, burst into flames, their ashes falling to the shore below. There are several shots of one of Nelly's eyes shattering as if made of glass. The car in the video is a custom-made

Ford Mustang GT The Ford Mustang is a series of American automobiles manufactured by Ford. In continuous production since 1964, the Mustang is currently the longest-produced Ford car nameplate. Currently in its sixth generation, it is the fifth-best sellin ...

. The house in the video is a dollhouse called The Emerson House, made by toymaker Brinca Dada. It premiered on September 24, 2010. Shannon Brown of the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

makes a cameo appearance.

Track listing

;Digital download # "Just a Dream" – 3:57

Credits and personnel

The credits for "Just a Dream" are adapted from ''5.0'' album liner notes. ;Recording information * Recorded in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...

at The Hit Factory Studios and Playland Playhouse,

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

. ;Personnel *

–

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music ...

* James Scheffer (

) – producer, songwriter, keyboards * Richard Butler, Jr. (Rico Love) – producer, songwriter *

–

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...

, songwriter * Robert Marks – recording engineer, audio mixer * Ryan Evans – recording engineer * Jason Wilkie – recording assistant, mixing assistant * Matt Huber – recording assistant, mixing assistant * Thurston McCrea – recording assistant, additional engineering * Chad Jolley – mixing assistant * Brandon Jones – additional engineering

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Radio and release history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Just A Dream (Nelly Song) 2010 singles Number-one singles in Poland Nelly songs Black-and-white music videos Songs written by Rico Love Song recordings produced by Jim Jonsin Music videos directed by Sanji 2010 songs Contemporary R&B ballads Songs written by Frank Romano Universal Motown Records singles Songs written by Jim Jonsin Song recordings produced by Rico Love Songs about marriage Songs written by Nelly